Stories by Emma Okonji The Google News Initiative (GNI) has selected six Nigerian independent news creators to join the sub-Saharan Africa cohort of the Emerging News Voices Growth Lab. They include: Onlinebanker, Adetunji Films, More Branches T, Wearegst, Iswellthecapitalist, and The Republic. They are among 20 emerging news creators from across the region taking part in the multi-month virtual programme, which runs through late September 2026. Creator-led digital journalism is changing how Nigerians, especially younger audiences, find and consume news. Social-first channels and digital-native platforms increasingly drive news discovery, yet the newsrooms behind them often run lean, with limited access to the tools, training and revenue expertise available to established publishers. The GNI Growth Lab is built to close the gap. News Partnerships Lead, Middle East and Africa at Google, Marianne Erasmus, said: “Independent news creators and digital-native newsrooms are shaping how Africans, and Nigerians in particular, find and understand the news. The Growth Lab gives these creators what growing newsrooms need most: practical AI skills, a clear video and audience strategy, direct relationships with their readers and a path to sustainable revenue. When emerging voices build capability and financial independence, the whole news ecosystem becomes more resilient, diverse and sustainable.” Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Republic, Wale Lawal, said: “Google’s Emerging News Voices Growth Lab is giving us practical ways to combine audience insight, product thinking and the responsible use of AI as we build a more sustainable future for The Republic’s journalism.” Editor-in-chief and Co-founder MoreBranches, Nasir Achile Ahmed, said the initiative offered practical resources, new tools and valuable opportunities to connect with experts and fellow journalists. “The programme has been valuable to our newsroom, providing information that validates observations we’d made previously, as well as access to tools and the knowledge to use them effectively. Beyond that, engaging with experts and fellow journalists has created a supportive environment that is helping us strengthen our storytelling,” Ahmed said.
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